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‘Belief that,’ ‘belief in’
Managing our beliefs takes effort, but it is one of our most important tasks. Understanding how and why we believe gives us the opportunity to take positions that are true, likely, and useful.
The phrase “to believe that” generally refers to whether we accept a proposition as fact. Typically we are prepared with some kind of evidence or reasoning. Example: “I believe that this seed will grow a pink flower because it came from a pink flower.” (I talked about this type of belief in a previous Medium story.) We also use this phrase for facts that we accept although personally unable to provide evidence: “I believe that there is life on Mars,” “I believe that God exists.”
The phrase “to believe in” generally refers to a kind of trust or hope, an optimism despite facts that should point toward pessimism. Example: “We didn’t get much rain, but I believe in this seed’s power to grow.” This kind of belief often appears as a wish more than as a rational expectation. It is invoked in team activities, patriotism, and religious contexts, hoping that gods, spirits, fates, or luck will take one’s side and help out. This kind of “belief in” is not typically set up as a scientific hypothesis to be confirmed or disproven…
